rpgfandomcom-20200222-history
CF Verdie 7
Dear Addie, I am writing you from a small village in Ireland, where I have settled to work on repairs to the airship. Oh, I believe I have finally settled on a name for it. I have called it to myself, the between-ship (since it will be able to move between air and water and land as easily as I can possibly contrive) and it was taken as a prize from some French bandits, so I am settling on Enterprise. A good, solid name of a ship which will be practically indestructible, once this set of modifications are complete. One of the locals wags here suggested “Titanic” in honour of Titania, but I fear to draw her notice. You asked in your last letter why I cannot come home for Mama’s birthday, but I am afraid it is impossible as I am stranded here. I have made great progress towards getting the ship air bound again, and believe the navigation system I have created will allow us greater flexibility, assuming it does not automatically take us to Ireland again. Here is what I’ve done so far for the Enterprise: My automatic pilot seems almost functional. I have added a compass to the great steering wheel and, through the use of a lever, can set a course for us to follow. Someone would still need to be aware of our elevation, and watch for any dangers but it may allow us to fly through the night without fear. I modified the interior compartment to make it water-tight and adjusted the pumps on the balloon section to release the stored lighter than air gasses, and replace them with oxygen which can then be pumped into our quarter. The first trial run of this did not go very well, and the helium made my voice the laughingstock of all the little schoolboys in the village, but it seems to be working now. I have made a sorcerous engine to provide motion underwater. The current model can not achieve great speeds yet, and the steering has some wrinkles. At the moment, it is unable to turn to the right at all, although I’m not entirely sure why. It appears that my seal around the cold iron is functional, but there is a chance of some sort of sorcerous feedback through the power cells surrounding it so, I fear there is a small danger of catastrophic explosion if magic is performed near the engine while it is engaged. I have created an electrified net around the underside and hull of the ship, and across the balloon section. Under ordinary circumstances, these would be uncharged, but a pump with a crank will provide a shock to anyone attempting to board without permission. I have also created a small wheel into which I can set Cogsworth so he can power it by himself. I still need to figure out how to protect the ship in case of lightning, but I cannot imagine that will ever be a difficulty, as we could never be so foolish as to fly the Enterprise during a storm. Unfortunately, I am unsure how to discharge this without harming someone so it will only be used in emergencies. Even low charges are quite painful and my hair is still standing from my last test. For myself, I have made a mechanical suit with grapples to allow me to scale the ship if repairs are needed during flight. I have some preliminary sketches of a water-safe version, but have not completed even a prototype yet. I have a pack I can place on my back, very heavy, but I can set Cogsworth inside and use his running to charge a club with electricity, like the shock you feel when you drag your feet across a dry carpet. Sadly, my attempts to insulate it are not terribly effective and I have resorted to wearing bulky gloves to protect myself from the charge. Please do not tell Mama but I fear that my life will continue to hold dangers. As you requested, I am working on a small, automated bicycle for you that you can use to for errands in the village. I will try to deliver it to you once I have this latest hole repaired, before I return to London. Although I complained when you asked me, I have grown fond of the project and hope you will be pleased at its comfort, speed and beauty. You will need to don a cover-up to use it for the moment, as there is an oil-leak that I have not completely repaired, but I may be able to during my next flight. I am sending Mama some fabrics and jewelry from the local shops and hope to be with you shortly by the 27th. Love, Verdie (OOC: Verdie is raising her Sorcerous Engineering to Good.)